Congestion

My nose has been congested on and off again for about three weeks. It's horrible, uncomfortable, annoying and irritating! I've tried taking over the counter meds that sorta helped. A netipot helped a little. But I'm so congested that the water wont drain out! I had a slight sinus infection so my doc put me on a Zpack that took away the pressure in my face. But still I'm snotty and congested!

I've learned it's hard to do everyday things while congested. Such as:

•Sleep
•Chew Gum
•Kiss
•Use Mouthwash
•Drink from a straw
•Breathe through your nose (duh!)
•Hum a song

Chores

I grew up in a clean and tidy house. I'd like to credit to my parents being Army kids. We had our days of messiness, but mostly it was pretty tidy.  Now being a stay at home mom and in my own place I tend to have the same tendency.  Trust me, some days dishes are left over night, toys are on the floor, and clean laundry is waiting to be folded. And with a 19 month old, the minute you put toys away, she's rolling out toilet paper across the bathroom!  I actually enjoy cleaning, it gives me satisfaction to see results, it makes me feel comfortable and then I know it's clean.

I made a friend during the summer bible study I did at church. And I overheard someone ask her, "So what chore is today?"  Later asking her about it, she explained to keep herself sane while she's at home she has designated one chore a day, that way it helps her keep the house clean instead of having one long day with a lot of chores to do.  Brilliant!!! I since have (sorta) adopted this motto.  I had already had laundry days, but after adopting cleaning one thing a day has really helped me feel less stressed. 
For example, here's what I've made up as a normal week of cleaning chores:

Monday: Me and Bryson's laundry and Vacuum
Tuesday: Clean Bathrooms aka "Toilet Tuesday"
Wednesday: Violet's laundry
Thursday: free day :)
Friday: Me and Bryson's laundry

As you can see, it's really not that much! And who wants to clean on a weekend??

*Sweeping the floor, dishes, wiping counters, putting away toys is an everyday event
**All you men haters out there, don't you worry Bryson does plenty around the house to help with chores too :)

out

im behind with bloggging. sorry. ive have books to post about, recipes to share, and randoms too. also our battery adapter to our laptop started crackling and smoking last week so we have to order. until then i have brys phone to get my media fix in.

so stay tuned...

Cookie or Dough

I have a weakness and am faced with dilema every time...

Do I eat the dough or the cookie? See with the dough you don't have accountability of quantity size so you can have a spoonful here, a little finger scoop there and then a couple more spoonfuls and you really don't know how much you've eaten.  But with a cookie you know that eating 5 is probably unacceptable.  Most of the time I'll make cookies and just eat enough dough until I've had my fill and then freeze the rest for later to actually bake.  I'm a sucker though, I can very rarely ever pass up a raw cookie dough or a chocolate chip cookies.  I'd say they are one of my weaknesses...especially when my friend Kim Espi makes them.  Her dough and cookies are so good!

Cookie dough brings back so many memories for me.  It reminds me of my wild and crazy college days when with my 7 bffs sitting in our pjs, watching mean girls, or babysitters club and having dance parties (told you we were wild and crazy ;)  It also reminds me of when Bryson first told me his "intentions" and later made, from scratch with out a hand blender, raw cookie dough cause he knew I liked it so much.  And then I knew he had to be the one (joking...sorta!)

So what about you, cookie or dough? 



Randoms

-I've taken pictures for a couple recipes I want to blog about, but just haven't found the energy to blog about them yet.  One reason I enjoy writing recipes in my blog, is when I'm meal-planning each week and need a quick look up of recipes I already know how to make, it's super easy to click on "recipes" that I've tagged under a post.  Love me some time-saving tricks.
-Since we've returned from our cruise, Violet has been a little picky about food.  (It's super annoying)Because she normally eats everything and anything and I think it's mostly she has more of a preference over what she wants to eat now that she is starting to talk/sign more.  But I've discovered if I put something on her tray that she doesn't want to eat and walk away and ignore the little fit she's throwing, she calms down and eats up everything! 

-My allergies have been cray-z the past couple of days! I took an allegra last night and did the nedipot this morning, so hopefully I'll get some relief soon.

-I've started running again...well not like I ever really considered myself a runner but just been doing it more often.  I actually ran a lot in college and then right before I found out I was preggers. Why did I start running just as summer has started, I have no idea? But with V getting up early, it actually isn't that hot to run at 8am :)

-Bryson and I decided to make it a goal to make it to all of our niece and nephews birthdays this year.  And this weekend starts it off with Cousin Hunter turning the big One!

-Violet is started to recognize our friends!! It's super cool to know she is recognizing non-family members now and feeling comfortable around them when we aren't around.  She has even started calling our friend Nikki "kaka" haha!

-We're starting a project for the wall space in our living room. We're super excited about it! Don't worry I'll blog about it once we're finished.

This and That

-Recently I've been looking at a lot of craft/decor/DIY blogs. I really want to try some of the ideas I have seen! It makes me feel creative just by looking at them. Hopefully I can find some time to try some and let my inner artist out :)

-Television is rarely watched at our house. I don't like the fact that Violet literally will stand in front of the TV and stare, okay it's funny, but she needs to play instead. And its quite difficult to watch a show at night since she is so active. (yay hulu!) I mean we watch some TV just not a lot.

-I have read 3 books this month already! Its common after we put V to bed, me and B will just sit on the couch and read until about 10pm. We're such bookworms, which I really appreciate. I need to blog about the books, bc they were all (2 of the 3) good!

-Violet is an eating machine! We are finished with bottles, formula and baby food! (hooray!) She drinks whole milk, sippy cups, and real people food....and a lot of it! Its actually easier that she is no longer eating baby food, because she just eats what we cook. Her favorite (new) food is Peanut Butter. She loves when we put it on her food!

-I've lost the baby weight, but my body doesn't look the same. Some things are just a little different and that's okay...I've had a baby!! It's still a process, but my attidue/outlook about my body has been a lot better since a couple months ago.

-The past year I have neglected my time with the Lord. Yes, it's been a busy first year with a child, but God still requests our time with Him. Since Lent is upon us I have been doing this Daily Bible Reading Plan It's super simple and short. It's helps me set a little time each day to focus on the bigger picture of life.

-Violet is such a kid these days! She is so smart and learning so much everyday! She keeps us laughing all the time. After admiring Violet while she was sleeping I asked Bryson' "What are you going to do if we have 3 little girls one day??" He said "I'll cry because they will be just so cute!" It's crazy how much you can love your children in only one year!! Recently, Violet has learned where her nose is and she sticks her finger too high sometimes and her eyes start to water...

I Spy

My in laws live 7 hours from us here in Houston. I know very long trip, but we've actually made the trip many times so its not as bad as you think. And lately V baby has what we like to call "car narcolepsy", so it makes for an easier long distance trip. B wanted to drive the whole way to and fro (God bless him!) and I was left to be the passenger, which was a-okay with me! Here are a few ways I/we passed the time:

*read a magazine
*played peek-a-boo multiple times with V
*asked B about his future has an artist
*tried to think of meals for the week
*wrote a grocery list
*feed V lots of snacks
*sang the "itsy bitsy spider" over and over (Vs current FAV song, she does the cutest spider hands!)
*climbed back and forth from the front seat to the back for "errands" of snacks, V-entertainment, and lost toys
*double listened w/ B to the ipod while V was sleeping at night
*slept
*tweezed my eyebrows (great lighting in the car during the day!)
*talked, talked, talked
*made up the most ridiculous laughs with B

When I asked B about car games he use to play when on road trips he excitedly yelled "Cows and Windmills!!" I replied "ummm excuse me?? I've never heard of that game?" He says "Oh this must be a West Texas game"...He went on to explain that you count all the Cows you see while driving but the first person to see a windmill yells "Windmill". That person "keeps" his cows, while everyone else starts back at zero. Then you keep counting or yelling windmill then at the end of the game the person with the most cows wins.

How do you pass the time while on a roadtrip?

Snow Day

This is NOT what it looks like outside, but it seems everywhere else in Texas (according to facebook) or the US there is snow! I'm not one to particularly loves the cold/snow, I mean I'm fine with it, I would just prefer a sunny 70 degree weather day. Since Monday the buzz has been that there is going to be snow and/or lots of ice this week. On Tuesday I did our grocery shopping so I wouldn't have to trek through "bad" weather ahead. The store was a little busier than normal at 10 in the morning, but I figured the weather was bringing everyone to prepare for the storm ahead. Tonight as we were getting ready to go to a friends house I realized I hadn't even left the house since Tuesday morning!!! hello, earth to Marisa!? B asked "Really? Do you feel like you have cabin fever?" I said "No, I was glad not to have to go anywhere and it's actually been fun to just hangout at home." I couldn't believe it had be 2.5 days of being inside! Just me and V playing all day long! Each morning I would hope to see snow/ice outside, but even today when schools, highways, and some jobs have closed, we woke up to a normal but cold day outside. Well here's to hoping for some snow our way... (at least humor the people to stocked up at the grocery store..)

Tuesday 3's

#1 This little lady


has been sleeping A LOT better!! She has been waking up her normal 1 or 2 times in the night, but doing our normal nighttime wake up that I mentioned before, has been working really good! I woke up this morning and told B "Violet only woke up once! and it was at 5am and went right back to sleep!" He responds, "um she actually woke up at 1 too, but you were out of it, so I got up, But she went right back to sleep!" haha! I guess I didn't even hear her! She has been super chatty-Cathy this week, pointing at everything and wanting me to say the name of whatever she is pointing to. It's so cute and fun to see her learn.

#2- I have mentioned before that most mornings at 9am I watch Regis and Kelly. I love them! Well usually before while getting breakfast for me and Violet we will listen to The Bobby Bones show, a Austin morning radio show. Well today he co-hosted with Kelly! I know, so exciting! My friend Nikki and I were super giddy watching him on TV! well at the end of every Regis and Kelly they usually do this inbox segment where viewers can ask a question and they read it on air...well I guess they ran out of time on the actual show but still did one online and THEY READ MY QUESTION!!


#3-I bought my first Groupon yesterday. It's a $30 for 30 classes offered by MetaBody. Usually it's $320 for 30 classes, so I couldn't pass it up! They have a lot of classes they are offering at different locations. There is a Women's Only BootCamp and Pilates class just down the street from our apartment! I'm a little nervous to go alone, but I'm sure I'll be fine once it starts! I'll keep yall updated!

Four Things

A blog I follow called pbfingers is a lot of fun! She blogs 3 or 4 times a day...I know a lot! She blogs about healthy foods, fitness...and her cute dog! I was telling B about her and I just can't believe how much time she has to blog, make really healthy food AND workout EVERYDAY!!! I mean she works full time and I guess not having any kids gives her extra time, but man she's like supergirl! Anyways she had a fun survey up the other day so I thought I do it too!


Four TV Shows I Watch
*Modern Family
*Parenthood
*Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
*Regis and Kelly

Four Things I'm Passionate About
*Home made cooking
*My Family
*My girlfriends/friends
*A comfy/welcoming home


Four Things I Learned In The Past
*Sleep when the baby sleeps
*Putting too much crushed red peppers on food will give me a tummy ache
*When craving a smore without a campfire, the microwave does the trick
*Girlfriend weekends are good for the soul



Four Things I'm Looking Forward To
*A 2011 Cruise (crossing fingers!)
*Losing the last 5lbs of baby weight (50lbs almost gone!!)
*Baby Violet's 1st Birthday
*Making friends with other moms/play dates


Four Things I Love About Winter
(I don't really love winter but...)
*Fire in the fireplace
*Christmas
*Jackets/sweatshirts
*Not sweating

Now what are YOUR four things?!

Excitedness

I feel like I'm at a loss for my reg. blog posts (not that I have to have regular blogs but...), my book is taking forever to read due to a mobile/active baby and well I like lists. So here you go.

Things I'm excited about:

1. Woke up to cold weather today
2. Bryson's NEW job!!
3. Moving to an apartment/house/something!!!!
4. Finding a Church
5. Friends having babies
6. Being a mom/Violet is a lot of fun
7. The Holidays + seeing family
8. Violet almost walking...this should scare me :)
9. Christmas lights
10. Dancing to Willow Smith's "whip my hair"

Productive

Things I did today while Violet took a nap.

First nap: 1 hour 45 mins

-Organized 9 months of clothes. I have been putting this off for the past couple of months. Babies grow at an alarming rate! When her clothes got to small I had been literally throwing them in her closet and well the pile I was making was really big by this point so I got to work. And then scrambling going through boxes picking ou the next size. Thankfully my little 3 year old niece Ashtyn let us use her handmedowns of baby clothes, so we have quite a supply. But the trick is to keep on top of putting the too small clothes up and getting the new sizes out. It's tricky.

-Computer stuff: facebook, gmail, twitter, read blogs, uploaded pictures

Second nap: still sleeping but currently going on 2 hours

-Took a 45 min nap
-Folded and put away clean laundry
-Rocked Violet back to sleep longer
-Wrote this blog
-Checked on Dinner in the slow cooker

**Disclaimer:These naps today are abnormally long today. I give credit to growing and her two front teeth about to come in any day now.

Missing

With 90% of our belongings in storage sometimes I start to miss the most random things! The other day while I was rocking Violet for her nap I started to miss our Pyrex set. I know. strange, right? But I do.

I miss how they fit perfectly in our shelf in Austin. I could not reach that shelf and had to use a step stool to reach them. I loved the colors of the lids. I loved that we used them a lot especially to make hummus and tabouli. Oh the good ole days. At least I know they are safe and sound. They were able to rest for the past 8 months and sometime in the near future will be ready to do their job.

Kings and Queens

This past weekend Bryson checked us into The Magnolia Hotel downtown Houston to celebrate my birthday. It is a beautiful hotel! If you ever get the chance definitely make a reservation! Not only is it pretty they have the best amenities: A delicious buffet style breakfast, complimentary happy hour (2 free drinks per guest) and a bedtime cookie buffet! One thing that has always been fun for us when we stay at a hotel is a king size bed! You can literally both lay one each side and not touch each other! I usually end up still sleeping with just a few toes touching Bryson. My parents have a King and when I was little I would do like 4 somersaults until I would reach the other end! When we got married we bought a queen size bed and were so impressed with it! In college I always had a twin so this upgrade to a queen was a big deal! I've always thought of having a King size bed being "adult" or the norm for what "parents" get...well I guess I'm in both those categories now! I know one couple my age that has a King the rest have Queens. But I could see in the next 10-15 years that changing. A few months ago we were talking about maybe getting a King, but I think after this past weekend I'd like to wait until we are older. For me it's a little treat to have a king size bed in a hotel, a little different from the everyday Queen.

I'm curious though, what size bed do you sleep in?

A few things

1. B.V. (Before Violet) my hair curled naturally with little effort. Now and maybe since its shorter, it just doesn't have the same curl. I have to add spray gel, mousse, dry it using a diffuser and still just a little wavy...

2. Tired + Crying + Baby that is fighting taking a nap = Tired, Crying Momma that wants to take a nap!

3. I can totally see why there are so many moms out there that drink a lot of coffee. (see #2 above)

4. I really enjoy hosting house guests. Maybe when we have our own home we'll have foreign exchange students, couch surfers, or lots of visitors.

Feelin' like Friday

Today is Friday, which I'm so happy about!! And like most Fridays I'm just ready for B get home so we can start the weekend! This Friday in particular has been a little unproductive! During V's first nap I started watching "Kourtney and Khole Take Miami" (which I've never seen...) and of course there happens to be a marathon on today!! Why is reality tv so addicting?! I did get a load of laundry done and started to actually box up the maternity clothes that are taking up waaaay too much space in my closets and drawers! See I did get a few things accomplished!

Have a good weekend!

Missing

I miss being pregnant! It is just an amazing experience to see yourself and the baby change so much! I loved feeling Violet move around in my belly! Im just so thankful to God that he gave me an easy first pregnancy! This is me at 40 weeks (Superbowl Sunday) and I still had 2 more weeks to go. Yall, I was huge!


I miss New York Food! Since we were living in the heart of Manhattan last summer you could eat delicious food everywhere you looked or just a train ride away. ooo they had a street fair by the CCC office one day and I had the best quesadilla ever (hello! and I live in texas!) oh and deep fried oreos too! Okay I was in my first trimester while we lived in NY so it was awesome to actually have an excuse to eat everything!


I miss these white sunglasses! I think they broke right after we got back from NYC and I was so bummed! I felt cool when wearing these sunglasses! haha! This pic was our last day at Kingsborough College in Brooklyn. KGP rocks! :)


Its funny how 2 of 3 of these relate back to New York! Leave me a comment and tell me what do you miss today?!

:)

100th post!!

In honor of my one hundredth post lets make a random list of rambles:

1. It has taken me since October 2008 to write 100 blog posts. Maybe I should blog more often. I mean I know I have a few followers out there! thanks for the comments!

2. I recently been browsing the new IKEA catalog ::oh bless:: I want/need most of what's in there! Now dont get me wrong a lot of IKEA stuff is cheeeeap and you are paying for the cheeeeapness, but it is really cute.

3. That being said a few of my friends have moved into new houses and other few have moved into new apartments! I love visiting new places of my friends homes to see how they decorated, what it looks like, and to see how happy they are in their new places.

4. This topic also leads me and Bryson missing all our stuff that has been in storage for the past 5 months. It urges me to want to decorate my home or a space that's mine! But it's hard to do when we dont have a place of our own yet.

5. Also, it makes me remember the purpose behind moving in with my parents. To save money and to build our savings. I'm thankful they are letting us live with them! I'm also thankful for the job Bryson has that we are able to save.

6. With the job that Bryson has leads us to be able to afford things like an oil change, but with further inspection of the car it needs new tires and brakes. oh my me. That's a lot of moola la! But keeping a car in good well maintained with every 30,000 miles is better than having if break on you in the long run.

7. It has been raining like were back in Noah's time! Everyday last week it rained, not just a sprinkle, but hard down pour type of rain. What's up Houston?!

8. I want cupcakes all. the. time!!! or a few friends introduced me to "cake balls" and they are delish! I'll have to make some a blog about it!

9. I dont understand these legalized Marijuana states, laws, and dispensaries. I mean seriously? Medicine? I just dont agree with it! Apparently there is now a to university earn a college degree in medical cannabis/marijuana...

10. Last but not least, Violet has learned to hum. She especially likes to show off her humming skills while nursing.

Sunday Blues

I was introduced to the "sunday blues" from my college roommate Grace and now Bryson. It's that feeling you get Sunday (sometime it creeps in Saturday night) knowing your weekend is over and another work week is on it's way. I woke up this morning a little bummed that it was already Sunday. (Like I have the power to stop time or something!) I had a great weekend! Bryson had the whole weekend off so we had a lot of time together! It was a little more busy than usual (meaning we didn't just sit around at home) but we ran errands, went out for coffee with my parents, took the car to get an oil change (and later find out it needs new tires...so thankful Bryson has a job!), took naps, hungout with friends, and visited our friends who moved into new houses and apartments! It was a great great weekend! I'm just blue the weekend is over to spend time with friends and family.. So I guess now you can understand the blues, do you ever get them?

Dont Forget to Laugh

Just like when I was pregnant I get weekly newsletters from babycenter.com giving tips, advice and information about the growth of Baby V! The website also is great for a "go-to" place when I have a question! It has been a great tool for me and Bryson, especially those late nights when Violet would not stop crying, or wasn't eating or had crusty stuff in her eyes....seriously it's a great website! I received this in the email today and thought I'd share

Five things you wish could be a little more dry:
• Your baby's chins.
• Your shoulder and hair, after a burping session.
• Your underwear, after sneezing.
• Those two spreading circles on the front of your shirt.
• Your eyes, whenever you see a hurt animal, your baby's face, or an even vaguely sentimental long-distance phone service commercial.